Information recorder, recording method, and recording media

Abstract

There are described a data recording system, a data recording method, and a recording medium, all of which are directed to enabling easy editing of AV data without involvement of duplication of the AV data, as well as to eliminating a necessity for an additional data recording region. In the recording system, at the time of recording of primary data, there is prepared an original file which stores link data formed by arranging in sequence address data for reproduction purposes stored in a recording region on a recording medium. Further, through editing of the original file, there is prepared a virtual file which stores link data formed by arranging in sequence address data for reproduction purposes stored in the recording region on the recording medium. The data are reproduced according to these files.

1. A data recording system for recording primary data, comprising:
 a recording section for recording primary data on a recording medium, in which primary data are recorded in each of a plurality of unit recording regions of a predetermined length into which a recording area of the recording medium is divided; and  
 a control section for generating an original file when the recording section has recorded the primary data on the recording medium, the original file storing link data formed as a result of sequential arrangement of address data directly pertaining to the unit recording regions in which the primary data have been recorded by the recording section, as well as for generating a virtual file by means of editing the original file in accordance with a user's instruction, the virtual file storing link data formed as a result of sequential arrangement of address data directly pertaining to the unit recording regions.  
 
     
     
       2. The data recording system as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the control section prepares a virtual file by editing the original file and/or the virtual file in accordance with a user's instruction. 
     
     
       3. A data recording system for storing primary data on a medium, comprising:
 a recording section for recording primary data on a recording medium, in which primary data are recorded in each of a plurality of unit recording regions of a predetermined length into which a recording area of the recording medium is divided; and  
 a control section for generating a file at the time of recording of the primary data, wherein the file stores, in the form of a logical address, link data which are formed by arranging in sequence address data directly pertaining to the unit recording regions in which the primary data have been recorded by the recording section,  
 wherein the control section generates a new virtual file by means of editing the original file that is prepared at the time of recording of the primary data in accordance with a user's instruction and the control section generates a new virtual file by means of editing an existing original file and/or an existing virtual file in accordance with a user's instruction.  
 
     
     
       4. The data recording system as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the virtual file comprises at least a portion of address data pertaining to a file which is used as a source for editing. 
     
     
       5. The data recording system as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the control section prepares a new file on the basis of a plurality of files. 
     
     
       6. The data recording system as defined in  claim 1 , wherein when any of existing files is deleted, the control section deletes the file, and when a portion of any one of existing files is deleted, the control section deletes from the file one or a plurality of address data sets pertaining to the file. 
     
     
       7. The data recording system as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the control section prepares a link count table for managing the number of times files refer to each of said unit recording regions, and the control section updates data pertaining to the prepared link count table or pertaining to a link count table read from the recording medium, through editing and/or deletion of the files. 
     
     
       8. The data recording system as defined in  claim 7 , wherein a unit recording region assigned reference number  0  in the link count table is handled as a recordable region;
 when the original file prepared at the time of recording of the primary data or a portion of the original file is deleted, the control section resets to zero the reference number assigned in the link count table to the corresponding unit recording regions to be deleted; and  
 in contrast, when the virtual file prepared by editing the existing file or a portion of the virtual file is deleted, the control section decrements the reference number assigned in the link count table to the corresponding unit recording regions to be deleted.  
 
     
     
       9. The data recording system as defined in  claim 8 , wherein when a certain original file or a portion of the original file is deleted, another virtual file referring to the corresponding unit recording region to be deleted is corrected. 
     
     
       10. The data recording system as defined in  claim 7 , wherein the unit recording region assigned  0  as a reference number in the link count table is handled as a recordable region, and
 when a certain file is wholly or partially deleted, the control section decrements the reference number assigned in the link count table to the corresponding unit recording regions to be deleted, regardless of whether the file to be deleted is an original file prepared at the time of recording of primary data or a virtual file prepared by editing an existing file.  
 
     
     
       11. The data recording system as defined  claim 1 , wherein when overwriting of the entirety of a certain existing file or overwriting of a portion of the file is instructed, the control section prepares a new file with regard to the thus-overwritten primary data, and corrects the link data stored in the existing files or deletes the existing files. 
     
     
       12. The data recording system as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the control section prepares a title set file for storing the address data pertaining to the files and corrects the title set file in response to preparation or deletion of the files. 
     
     
       13. The data recording system as defined in  claim 12 , wherein the data recording system writes into the recording medium, at predetermined timing, data pertaining to the generated, corrected, and deleted files, data pertaining to the link count table, and data pertaining to the title set file. 
     
     
       14. The data recording system as defined in  claim 13 , wherein the data recording system reads from the recording medium data pertaining to the files, the link count table, and the title set file, all of which are written into the recording medium by the data recording system, and stores the thus-read data into a storage section of the data recording system. 
     
     
       15. The data recording system as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the data recording system records primary data on and reproduces primary data from each of said unit recording regions and data pertaining to a reproduction start frame and a reproduction end frame of each unit recording region are stored in the file. 
     
     
       16. The data recording system as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the data recording system records primary data on and reproduces primary data from each of said unit recording regions, and given that the minimum rate at which the data recording system transfers data to the recording medium is Be, a bit rate at which data are reproduced is Bd, a time required from the time a head has made a maximum jump over the recording medium to the time first actual data are acquired is Tw, and the amount of storage on the unit recording region of predetermined length is C, recording or reproduction of data is performed so as to satisfy the relational expressions (Be−Bd)*Ts>Bd*Tw, Ts=C/Be, and Be>Bd. 
     
     
       17. The data recording system as defined  claim 3 , wherein the control section prepares a new file on the basis of a plurality of files. 
     
     
       18. The data recording system as defined in  claim 3 , wherein when any of existing file is deleted, the control section deletes the file, and when a portion of any one of existing files is deleted, the control section deletes from the file one or a plurality of address data sets pertaining to the file. 
     
     
       19. The data recording system as defined in  claim 3 , wherein the control section prepares a link count table for managing the number of times files refer to each of said unit recording regions, and the control section updates data pertaining to the prepared link count table or pertaining to a link count table read from the recording medium, through editing and/or deletion of the files. 
     
     
       20. The data recording system as defined in  claim 3 , wherein when overwriting of the entirety of a certain existing file or overwriting of a portion of the file is instructed, the control section prepares a new file with regard to the thus-overwritten primary data, and corrects the link data stored in the existing files or deletes the existing files. 
     
     
       21. The data recording system as defined in  claim 3 , wherein the control section prepares a title set file for storing the address data pertaining to the files and corrects the title set file in response to preparation or deletion of the files. 
     
     
       22. The data recording system as defined in  claim 3 , wherein the data recording system records primary data on and reproduces primary data from each of said unit recording regions, and data pertaining to a reproduction start frame and a reproduction end frame of each unit recording region are stored in the file. 
     
     
       23. The data recording system as defined in  claim 3 , wherein the data recording system records primary data on and reproduces primary data from each of said unit recording regions, and given that the minimum rate at which the data recording system transfers data to the recording medium is Be, a bit rate at which data are reproduced is Bd, a time required from the time a head has made a maximum jump over the recording medium to the time first actual data are acquired is Tw, and the amount of storage on the unit recording region of predetermined length is C, recording or reproduction of data is performed so as to satisfy the relational expression (Be−Bd)*Ts>Bd*Tw, Ts=C/Be, and Be>Bd. 
     
     
       24. The data recording system as defined in  claim 19 , wherein a unit recording region assigned reference number  0  in the link count table is handled as a recordable region;
 when the original file prepared at the time of recording of the primary data or a portion of the original file is deleted, the control section resets to zero the reference number assigned in the link count table to the corresponding unit recording regions to be deleted; and  
 in contrast, when the virtual file prepared by editing the existing file or a portion of the virtual file is deleted, the control section decrements the reference number assigned in the link count table to the corresponding unit recording regions to be deleted.  
 
     
     
       25. The data recording system as defined in  claim 19 , wherein the unit recording region assigned  0  as a reference number in the link count table is handled as a recordable region, and
 when a certain file is wholly or partially deleted, the control section decrements the reference number assigned in the link count table to the corresponding unit recording regions to be deleted, regardless of whether the file to be deleted is an original file prepared at the time of recording of primary data or a virtual file prepared by editing an existing file.  
 
     
     
       26. The data recording system as defined in  claim 21 , wherein the data recording system writes into the recording medium, at predetermined timing, data pertaining to the generated, corrected, and deleted files, data pertaining to the link count table, and data pertaining to the title set file. 
     
     
       27. The data recording system as defined in  claim 1 , wherein when a certain original file or a portion of the original file is deleted, another virtual file referring to the corresponding unit recording region to be deleted is corrected. 
     
     
       28. The data recording system as defined in  claim 26 , wherein the data recording system reads from the recording medium data pertaining to the files, the link count table, and the title set file, all of which are written into the recording medium by the data recording system, and stores the thus-read data into a storage section of the data recording system. 
     
     
       29. The data recording system as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the address data pertaining to the primary data are arranged in sequence of reproduction of the corresponding unit recording regions of the primary data. 
     
     
       30. The data recording system as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the predetermined length of each of the unit recording regions comprises a number of bits corresponding to an amount of data whose recording and reproduction requires a few seconds. 
     
     
       31. A data recording and reproducing system for recording and reproducing primary data on a rewritable recording medium, comprising:
   a head to write and to read out the primary data on the recording medium;        a recording section for recording the primary data on the recording medium, the recording section making the head to jump to a region to which the primary data is written; and        a reproducing section for reproducing the primary data on the recording medium, the reproducing section making the head to jump to a region from which the primary data is read out,        wherein the recording section and the reproducing section respectively record and reproduce the primary data in unit recording regions, into which a recording area of the recording medium is divided, according to the formulas:      ( Be−Bd ) Ts>BdTw,          Ts=C/Be, and          Be>Bd,          wherein Be is minimum data transmission rate to the recording medium, Bd is reproduction bit rate of the primary data, Tw is time interval from timing when the head starts jumping a longest distance on the recording medium to timing when a first reproduction data of the primary data is obtained after the jumping and C is a capacity of the unit recording region.     
     
     
       32. A reproducing system for reproducing primary data on a recording medium, comprising:
   a head to read out the primary data on the recording medium;        a reproducing section for reproducing the primary data on the recording medium, the reproducing section making the head to jump to a region from which the primary data is read out,        wherein the primary data are recorded in unit recording regions, into which a recording area of the recording medium is divided,        the reproducing section reproduce primary data according to following formulas:      ( Be−Bd ) Ts>BdTw,          Ts=C/Be, and          Be>Bd,          wherein Be is minimum data transmission rate to the recording medium, Bd is reproduction bit rate of the primary data, Tw is time interval from timing when the head starts jumping a longest distance on the recording medium to timing when a first reproduction data of the primary data is obtained after the jumping and C is a capacity of the unit recording region.     
     
     
       33. A method of recording and reproducing primary data on a rewritable recording medium, comprising:
   recording and reproducing the primary data in unit recording regions, into which a recording area of the recording medium is divided,        wherein the recording and the reproducing of the primary data respectively are carried out according to following formulas:      ( Be−Bd ) Ts>BdTw,          Ts=C/Be, and          Be>Bd,          wherein Be is minimum data transmission rate to the recording medium, Bd is reproduction bit rate of the primary data, Tw is time interval from timing when a longest jump of reproduction position on the recording medium starts to timing when a first reproduction data of the primary data is obtained after the jump and C is the capacity of the unit recording region.     
     
     
       34. A data recording system for recording primary data on a recording medium, comprising:
   a recording section for recording primary data on the recording medium, in which primary data are recorded in each of a plurality of unit recording regions; and        a control section for generating an original file when the recording section has recorded the primary data on the recording medium, the original file storing link data formed as a result of sequential arrangement of address data pertaining to the unit recording regions in which the primary data have been recorded by the recording section,        as well as for generating a virtual file by means of editing the original file in accordance with a user's instruction, the virtual file storing link data formed as a result of sequential arrangement of address data pertaining to the unit recording regions;        wherein the virtual file stores time - stamp data indicating reproduction start timing and reproduction end timing of the primary data in each unit recording regions linked by the link data of the virtual file.     
     
     
       35. A data recording method for recording primary data on a recording medium, comprising the steps of:
   generating an original file when primary data are recorded in each of a plurality of unit recording regions on the recording medium, the original file storing link data formed as a result of sequential arrangement of address data pertaining to the unit recording regions in which the primary data have been recorded;        generating a virtual file by means of editing the original file in accordance with a user's instruction, the virtual file storing link data formed as a result of sequential arrangement of address data pertaining to the unit recording regions; and        storing time - stamp data in the virtual file, the time stamp data indicating reproduction start timing and reproduction end timing of the primary data in each unit recording regions linked by the link data of the virtual file.